Lifting device for motor vehicles



Sept. 1, 192's. d P. J. LUNATl LIFTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Nov. 28'. 1924 Patented Sept. 1, '1'92s.

UNITED STATES rarer. .1. tunnel, or immune, Tennessee.

LIFTING DEVICE IOB MOTOR VEHICLES.

Application llled Iovember 28, 1924. Serial No. 752,537.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER J. LUNATI, acitizen of the United States, residin at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and tate 6 of Tennessee, have invented certain new vehicle may be e evated above the groun to permit ready access to the mechanism carried by the under body by a garage me- '16 'chanic for the purpose of repalring and cleaning the vehicle and to provide a constructionof this kind" which is compact and will occupy comparatively small space and may be readily operated by fluid ,pressure supplied from a convenient source.

With this object and others in view, my invention is embodied in preferable form in the device hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings V Fig. 1 is a central vertical section;

Fig. 2, a top plan view; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and side views respectively of the hinged member connected so to the channel rails.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a casin cylinder which is mounted in a suit- 1 able ole or well formed in the ground or in a concrete structure and which is thread- 85 ed at its upper end there adapted to engage a cylindrical bed casting and guiding sleeve 2. This sleeve-member is provided with a horizontal flange 3 which is bolted to a bed plate 4: which is mounted upon an abutment of the concrete in the well.

Within the cylinder 1 and closely fitting 10. These channel rails are bolted to the.

attaching member 9. They extend-laterally from the hollow piston on opposite sides 66 thereof and are spaced apart a suitable width to receive the wheels of the ordinary motor vehicle.- These rails are secured only to the head carried bv the centrally mounted piston and they extend freely from said central support without other means of bracing or' supporting means beneath the same throughout their full extent so as to leave a free, unobstructed space beneath the vehicle supporting rails whereb ready access is afforded to the vehicle. By this arrangement, the vehicle is adapted to be su ported in equipoise by the parts of th supporting members extendin freely fromthe center and by means of the central, single piston only. At each end of these rai s there is provided a hinged member 11 which may be lowered to provide an inclined track to facilitate the rolling of the vehicle u on the rails and which may be supports in raised position to constitute a stop to prevent the vehicle from rollin from the rails after it has been pl thereon. Pawls 12 serve to hold the hinged members in upright position. The rails on their under sides are preferably provided with blocks 13 to constitute stops to space the rails from the ground when the vehicle is lowered so as to prevent crushing of the hands of the operatorin such operation.

The hollow piston is adapted to be elevated so as to lift the vehicle support and the vehicle by means of fluid pressure admitted to the hollow casing 1 and to the interior of the piston. To this end, a pipe 14 leads to the cylinder 1 from an oil supply tank 15. An adjusting valve 16 is located betweenthe cylinder 1 and the tank 15. From the upper part of the tank 15 a pipe 17 leads to a suitable source of fluid pressure, said pipe being controlled by an admission valve 19 adapted to admit the fluid under pressure in order to lift the vehicle and also controlled by a relief valve 20 which is adapted to relieve the pressure 10c in order to permit lowering of the vehicle.

The lower end of the piston 5 is ro vided with an exterior collar'21 whicris adapted to contact with a shoulder '22 I formed on the lower end of the sleeve 2 to 11 thereby limit the upward movement o f the piston and prevent it from being carried out of thesleeve in the liftingv movement. j

The piston is free to float on the oil in the cylinder 1 and in the piston, and in consequence thereof may freely rotate around its axis whereby the supporting rails may be employed as a turn-table to permit the vehicle to be swung around to different positions to enable ready access to all parts thereof to be obtained without the necessity of the mechanic changing his position, while at the same time the weight of the vehicle is balanced on opposite sides of the piston so that only one lifting piston need be emwith claim 4 wherein said supporting memployed.

In operation, the piston, cylindenand oil tank 15 being filled with oil, when it is desired to elevate the vehicle which has been i run upon the rails, the valve 19 is opened so as to admit the fluid under pressure to the tank 15 so as to force oil from the tank into the casing and'against theupper end of the piston thus elevating the latter and lifting the vehicle to the desired height. When it occasionally becomes desirable to replace the oil in the cylinder and piston, the plug 5' may be removed and pressure fluid introduced as when raising the rails, wherebn the greater portion of the oil will be blown out through the openin in the piston head.

a supporting member carried by the upper Having thus described my invention, what I-claim is: a

'1. A vehicle lifting device having a fixed casing cylinder, a source of fluid pressure in communication therewith, a hollow piston mounted in said cylinder, a member detachably secured to the upper end of the piston, and rails secured to said member and extending laterally and equally on opposite sides of said piston for supporting a vehicle. v I

2.'A vehicle lifting device comprising a hollow casing, means for admitting fluid pressure thereto, a single, vertically movable and rotatable piston mounted in said casing, vehicle supporting means mounted on said piston, and a stop on said piston for limiting the upward movement thereof.

3. A vehicle lifting device comprising a vertical cylinder, a piston mounted to reciprocate therein, means for supplying fluid pressure to said cylinder to lift said piston, asupporting member carried by the upper end of said piston, and a pair of spaced parallel rails arranged on opposite sides of said supporting member, said member being provided with outwardly diverging portions secured at their ends to said rails near the centers thereof, said .rails being relatively long and free from extraneous elements from their ends to the diverging portions of said supporting member.

' 4. A vehicle lifting device comprising a vertical cylinder, a piston mounted to reciprocate therein, means for supplying fluid pressure to said cylinder to lift said piston,

esasao end of said piston, and a pair of spaced parallel rails arranged on opposite sides of said supporting member, vthe sides of said supporting member being arranged beneath and secured to said rails near their centers, said supporting member, centrally of and parallel to said rails being relatively short, said rails being relatively long and free from extraneous elements from their ends to the diverging portions of said supporting member.

5. A device constructed in accordance ber comprises a pair of complementary portions, divided transversely of said rails and adapted to be clamped about the upper end of said piston.- Y

6. A vehicle lifting device comprisin a vertical cylinder openl at its upper en a hollow reciprocating piston mounted in said .cylinder and projecting from the open. end

thereof, said piston being open at its lower end and closed at its upper end and provided adjacent its upper end with an opening, removable means normally closing said opening, said cylinder and piston being adapted to contain a liquid and means for supplying fluid pressure to the liquid to lift said pis- 7. A vehicle lifting device comprisin a vertical cylinder adapted to be embedde in the earth and provided with an open upper end, a piston mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder and projecting from the upper end t ereof, a gland secured to the upper end of said cylinder and surrounding said piston, the surface of the earth in which said cylinder is embedded being provided with a relatively small shallow depression in which said fgland is arranged, means for supplying uid pressure to said cylinder to lift said piston, a support carried by the upper end of said piston, and spaced parallel rails secured to said support, said rails projecting a substantial distance beyond said depression and being supported on the surface position.

8. A vehicle lifting device comprising a vertical cylinder, a piston mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder, the lower end of said 0 linder being slightly greater in. diameter t an said piston, the upper end of said closed upper end, the lower end of saidcyl- I of the earth when said piston is in lowered- Y 1,5823%! I L inder being slightly greater in diameter being adgited contain a liquidand xneans I than said piston, the upperend of said 03 1- for mtr ucing fluid pressure between the .inder being of the same diameter as and walls of said piston and the lower end of 30 adapted to snugly receive said piston, the said cylinder,

lower'end of said piston bein open, means In testimony whereof I aflix my signafor su porting a vehicle on t e upgen end tux-e. v of said piston, said cylinder and sea piston PETER J LUNATI. 

